Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Schwang Swag: Finding the Perfect Large Picnic Blanket

Knowing how miserable the coming months will be here in Chicago, we're always taking the opportunity to sit in the sun and do things outside with the pooches. We have already perfected the art of having the spontaneous picnic with our dogs but at the same time, I've been searching for the perfect large picnic blanket to accommodate all of us at once.The blanket we use works well, but I have always dreamed of being able to stretch out and recline without my limbs hanging off into the itchy grass.Unfortunately, most of the cute, big blankets I have found have been way too expensive.
I think the answer may have been obvious to other people, but it wasn't until I spied a group doing this at Millennium Park that I realized how comforters can actually be the perfect picnic blanket:

A full-sized comforter will accommodate all four of us with room to lay and stretch out. Plus the extra padding can be super-comfortable:

It turns out Dwell Studio for Target even has some really cute options. If you watch the in-store sales you can usually get a really, really good discount. They have enough stuffing to be comfortable, but they're still thin enough to easily toss in the washer making them appropriate for daily use.

The only downfall is that it is too cumbersome to bring on our daily walk; we would have to plan to use it when we're not walking longer distances. Right now I have it rolled like a sleeping bag, but I wonder if I can find some way to keep it more compact?

But the big benefit is that we can enjoy having the pooches sitting on the blanket with us. It's just unfortunate it took me the whole summer to figure this out.

I is impressed that you has white and keeps it white! Not with my big ole clodhoppers. Mom carries a mini fleece blankie in her backpack for her to sit on when we take a break while hiking. I always manage to squish myself on the blankie with her and get it all dirty with my paws. Mom just shakes her head.

Great idea! Just in time to put to good use for our Indian summer here in NorCal! :)

I just found your blog (via Apartment Therapy) and am just so in love with it and your pooches! I've always loved Pitties but was worried our house/yard was too small. We ended up with two rescue Boston Terrors (said with much love) who are big dogs in little bodies. But after finding your blog I think a rescue pit may be in our future once we are ready to open our home to another pup.

Oh I like that comforter! I've been trying to find one that is waterproof on one side, so that if you take it out and the grass is still dewy or if it's rained you won't get the blankie all we. But your comforter idea is real good! I totally got bit up at the air show just sitting on the grass, so I need to remedy that situation for next year!

Ha ha! Better late than never! It does look pretty cozy. Wal-Mart had some quilts complete with a little carrying bag that they rolled up into around the Fourth. I'm thinking it wouldn't be too hard to roll it into a small bag if you can find one the right size.

DW--I also wanted to add waterproof to the list of my already long criteria, but then I realized that wasn't going to happen. I thought we might just bring a shower curtain liner in our bag, to put as a "first layer" which would be easy enough to carry and keep us dry.

We were a bit nervous about the white, but it was on sale, and I figured if they were really muddy we could just wipe their feet first, plus it's thin enough we can just toss it in the wash. Miss M. had a cut on her foot, so she already bled on the blanket, but it cleaned right up and you can't even tell there was a stain.

Kate--Thanks for the complements! We too never knew anything about pitbulls before I adopted Miss M; we just wanted to document our experiences with our bullies so people could consider them as another rescue option.

I love the Dwell line at Target - and that comforter you got is especially pretty! Ms. M and Mr. B both look as if they totally approve!

My first thought was similar to jet's - maybe rolling it up really tightly and then putting some sort of straps on it in order to carry it like a backpack. Or strap it to both pooches and make them split the load between them - haha! I'm sure it might be quite a feat to get them to walk together to do that!

I like the doggy backpack as their job idea, but folding it tightly would take some serious origami skills! Maybe in one of this little nylon backpacks like people use at the gym? Great idea and such a cute comforter!